Back into my usual maelstrom of psycho music, here's a beautiful set of Italian songs from The Renaissance/early Baroque era, performed by the amazing mezzo-soprano Jennifer Lane, and theorbist Timothy Burris.
The entire album is live recordings featuring nothing more than mezzo-soprano & theorbo, giving the album a very intimate feel. For those expecting the bouncy, nasally jigs that comprise most early music, this album will be a pleasant surprise. The songs are played in a very unrestrained rhythm, with raw, uncharacteristic emotion in the vocals. Really, most of the songs on this album are a drum machine away from being the featured track on the next Buddha Bar comp!
While Burris' contributions and restrained musicianship are stellar on this album, Lane really steals the show. An accomplished mezzo-soprano who's tackled everything from Strozzi to Schoenberg, her vocal range lends the natural emotional content for this sort of material-- while a soprano would've been far too strident and austere for material of such bare, emotional drama, her voice suits it beautifully.
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